Dom Mintoff must be seen within the context of his time - Wenzu Mintoff

"This is like judging a film after watching only its ending. One has to watch the whole film even when its ending leaves you with a bitter taste," Wenzu Mintoff maintains.

In an interview with MaltaToday which will be published tomorrow, Wenzu Mintoff also talks about the sharp contrast he witnessed between the reformism and dynamism of the 1970s' Labour Administration, and a subsequent degeneration it suffered throughout the 1980s.

Mintoff also explores Labour's anti-colonial struggle and 1970s administration at length. He discusses the manner in which he campaigned for independence from colonial rule, and points out that Malta was spared the bloodshed that characterised other similar struggles within other countries.

Mintoff however argues that the achievement of independence and the closure of the last British military base in 1979 represented a turning point beyond which the Labour government started losing its focus.

He argues that another contributing factor to increased tension in the country was the intransigence of the opposition, especially after the ascent of Fenech Adami and the onset of a Nationalist Party which Wenzu Mintoff argues was able to exploit several social conflicts to its advantage.

Also, according to his nephew, Mintoff was not disposed to tolerate corruption but his position was compromised because of past loyalties of people to whom he owed so much in terms of loyalty.

Read the full interview in tomorrow's edition of MaltaToday.